A prior art connector that is widely used in Germany, includes a standard insulative socket housing which is designed to receive a standard socket contact. The housing is constructed in accordance with standards identified as DIN 41 612, where DIN stands for "Deutsche Industrie Norm", which in English means "German Industrial Standard". The contact is identified by DIN 41 626. Since the standard housing is often specified, it is desirable to be able to use it. However, drawbacks have been found in the use of the standard socket contact that is designed to mount in the standard housing, and it would be desirable if an improved socket contact could be used which securely mounts in the standard housing.
The standard housing has front and rear ends and has a passage extending between the ends, The rear portion of the passage has internal ribs. The standard socket contact is in the form of a largely solid cylinder, with the front end having a cylindrical hole with slots therein to form pin-engaging tines. The middle of the socket contact, behind the cylindrical hole, has an external groove which receives a spring clip that is used to snap behind the ribs of the socket housing to hold the socket contact in place. This construction of the socket contact prevents the construction of a socket contact with a deeper hole at the front (or a through hole) that can receive a long pin contact, since the groove on the outside would result in very thin walls around the deepest parts of the hole. A through hole of substantially constant diameter could also be useful to pass a cable. A replacement socket contact, which could replace the standard socket contact, wherein the replacement socket contact could have a deep or through hole of substantially constant large diameter, would be of value.